Short videos rule the roost in Karnataka elections; EC flooded with approval requests

BENGALURU: More than rallies, roadshows and other gatherings, political parties seem to be banking on short video clips, trusting their potential to connect with individual voters.
In a clear sign of virtual media platforms emerging as an alternative to brainstorming, the Election Commission of India is flooded with requests seeking approval for video content for dissemination.
The videos, ranging from 2 to 10-minute clips, are laced with graphic interchange (GIF) format, flash videos and animated content. Officials are screening about 100 videos daily for objectionable content. The BJP remix of RRR's 'Naatu Naatu' with the refrain running 'Modi Modi' and Congress' video on '40% Sarkara' have already gone viral.
"There has been a substantial increase in the number of video clips, recorded specifically to attract voters. We used to get 20-30 videos per day during previous polls. This time, we're reviewing 80-100 clips," said K Venkatesh Kumar, additional chief electoral officer, Karnataka. According to him, platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have taken over campaigning. "Not many are watching electronic media channels. Even if they do, the time spent on it is very less. People are consuming more content on social media. This has driven parties to ensure their presence there," he said.
Staff at the CEO's office is screening content to avoid hate speech, factual distortion, anything that incites violence, remarks on caste, racism and religion. "If anything is objectionable, we ask them to remove or delete that part and resubmit the content," said an official.
TRP-based clips
Shooting multiple documentary videos, profile videos or interviews, parties are experimenting with content to make them viral. "Initially, parties would submit a long-duration clip for approval. If it went viral, they would submit either small versions of it or an addition to the video. There is a great demand for videos of one or two minutes as youngstersconnect with them easily and they are shared multiple times," said Venkatesh Kumar.
An expenditure monitoring officer said if the content is posted through individual handles, they cannot reach out to more voters. Hence, candidates buy packages to promote their posts.